Demand Planner

The Demand Planner is responsible for forecasting demand directly impacting business performance, inventory levels, and customer satisfaction. The role will create SKU forecasts by channel, apply promotional lifts, develop new product introduction forecasts. This position will partner closely with Marketing, Purchasing, Distribution, and other internal stakeholders to improve forecast accuracy, prevent lost sales, and create the best possible customer experience.

Job Summary and General Duties:

• Create bottom-up demand forecast for 24 month outlook by sku and channel.
• Forecast new product introductions in collaboration with the Marketing team.
• Forecast promotional lifts and review promotional results to drive forecast accuracy improvements.
• Conduct scenario planning to guide cross-functional decision making.
• Forecast sample demand in collaboration with Marketing and Kitting teams.
• Create, track, and communicate internal and external business KPIs to drive process and business improvements, including, but not limited to: forecast accuracy, forecast bias, and inventory days on hand.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align promotional activities with operational capabilities and customer demand requirements.
• Utilize strong business acumen to identify opportunities for growth and provide insights and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Analyze historical sales trends, seasonality, and business drivers to improve forecast quality and demand visibility.

Attributes:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and work effectively with internal and external partners.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner, gathering information and analyzing to develop alternative solutions.
• Utilize advanced analytics, AI-enabled forecasting tools, and demand sensing techniques to improve forecast accuracy, identify emerging demand trends, and support data-driven business decisions.
• Flexibility to perform in a fast-paced environment.

Knowledge and Skills Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required
• 5-7 years of demand planning experience required
• Experience in the CPG (consumer packaged goods) industry
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Experience with order management software, ERP systems, and data analysis tools
• Demand planning in platforms with statistical forecasting techniques
• Power BI, Tableau, or similar analytics tools
• S&OP or Integrated Business Planning process experience